Peanut Butter Pumpkins
by notthisoneagain
Summary: Raven agreed to a group costume. She agreed to a matching costume. But she most certainly did not agree to a couples costume. BBRae


**I do not own the Teen Titans or any referenced 80's movie franchises.**

* * *

The common room was filled with the conflicting aromas of sweet and savory, though Raven could only smell her tea as she held her mug close. The blue ceramic was warm to the touch; a sign that her beverage was no longer scalding hot, and perhaps finally drinkable. Taking a small, cautious sip, Raven let out a blissful sigh. It was the perfect temperature - a perfect start to what had the potential to be a perfect day. Inhaling the bitter scent once more, she closed her eyes, feeling content.

"Okay, so, if Raven murders me before her morning-meditation, would that be considered _pre_ meditated?"

But the feeling didn't last long.

Opening her eyes slowly, the empath was greeted by the toothy grin of her green teammate. He was sat across from her at the table, his half-eaten breakfast forgotten before him as his eyes darted between her and the others. Raven stared back, her expression blank. Acknowledging him would only _encourage_ him. And Azar knew Raven wouldn't want _that_.

At least, not unless she benefited from it. Though, the three years they had spent living together told her that encouraging him rarely ever resulted in something good.

"Beast Boy," Robin warned. He obviously sensed the potential spat, though he kept his mask-covered eyes glued to the paper before him. _Typical_. "Not now. It's too early for this."

Raven raised a single eyebrow, silently daring the changeling to push it. If he was annoying enough, he'd get assigned extra dish duty. Though, if she were caught provoking him, _she'd_ get extra dish duty.

Such a dilemma.

"But it's a serious question," Beast Boy protested, his smile unwavering as he lazily spooned at his cereal. "I mean, I'd want my murderer punished to the fullest extent of the law, and manslaughter or third degree just isn't gonna cut it. Like, _hellooo?_ I'm universally adored!"

Raven watched from the corner of her eye as Robin shook his head, exasperated. Though, despite the masked titan's extensive knowledge of the criminal justice system, it was Cyborg who answered the question.

"Rae killing you _period_ would be considered premeditated," the robotic titan reasoned between mouthfuls of sausage. "She's been fantasizing about it since y'all met."

Again, Raven arched her brow. She couldn't argue with _that_.

Beast Boy frowned at their largest teammate, before shifting his gaze back to the half-demon. "Is that true, Rae?" he asked faux-sincerely, his lips twitching as he undoubtedly fought back a smile. "Have you been _fantasizing_ about me?"

Raven could only roll her eyes, before taking another sip of her tea. She _fantasized_ about him, alright. Exactly how Cyborg had suggested - not in the way the changeling's pervy-little self hoped for. At least, not _always_. But hormones were a fickle thing, and being an empath didn't help; especially when she'd sense peculiar emotions radiating off of the green titan whenever she'd forgo her cloak.

Which had been a lot more common recently. _Weird_.

Obviously feeling left out, Starfire loudly cleared her throat, causing the empath to be pulled from her thoughts.

"Um, I am confused," the alien began warily, her green eyes bouncing from teammate to teammate, before settling on the changeling. "Why is friend Raven 'premeditating' her murder of you? What is it that you have done?"

 _What_ hasn't _he done?_ Raven mused internally.

Another grin settled on Beast Boy's lips. "Well, Star - it's not what I've _done_ ," he began cheerfully, his eyes bright with amusement as they met with Raven's once more. "It's what I'm about to _do_. What _we're_ about to do."

Again, Raven kept her face blank as she regarded the changeling, before taking another slow, lingering sip of her tea. The taste was bitter; the temperature soothing. It was exactly what she needed to start her day.

Well, aside from the extra three hours she spent meditating earlier that morning. But that was a necessity - after all, it took a lot out of her to spend the day with her friend.

Especially when that friend was _Beast Boy_.

"What's it y'all are doing?" Cyborg queried, this time with a mouthful of egg.

But Beast Boy only smirked, his eyes locked with Raven's as she gently placed her tea on the table. She could feel the others' confusion and amusement swirl through the air, along with the weight of their curious stares.

Being extra careful to remain stoic, Raven delicately folded her hands in her lap, never breaking eye contact with the changeling. She had made him a promise, and she rarely went back on her word. Even if it meant tiptoeing out of her comfort zone. Or possibly making a fool of herself. Okay - ' _possibly_ ' was being optimistic. She would _definitely_ be making a fool of herself.

"Beast Boy and I..." she began dryly, before her composure broke as she let out a slow, labored sigh. "...are going shopping."

She could see Starfire open her mouth as she readied herself to protest, but the alien was immediately cut-off as the green titan clarified. "Costume shopping!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air for extra emphasis. "It's almost Halloween, baby!"

Again, Raven closed her eyes, absently wondering what she _would_ be charged with if she really did kill him.

* * *

It hadn't been her idea, obviously - the whole 'costume-shopping' thing. In fact, she was kind of dreading it.

Sure, Raven was the 'creepy' one of the team; the one who wore black, read horror novels, and watched the occasional scary movie ( _immersive therapy_ , she reasoned) - but she wasn't the biggest fan of Halloween. Yeah, she enjoyed the candy and the decorations and a pumpkin-spice beverage or two, but the holiday in and of itself never really sat right with her. It was just so... temporary. One month, every year, everyone pretended to like the darkness. _Witch_ wasn't just an insult spat at her by some nut-job citizen holding a sign and proclaiming the end of the world - it was a short, sexy dress paired with a pointy hat and optional broom. _Freak_ was no longer just a passing comment made by a group of whispering teenage girls - it was branding; you were gonna _freak_ out over these prices, or get your _freak_ on when you heard this new song. And _creepy_ \- _creepy_ wasn't the lone word that would be on constant repeat in her head every time she locked herself in her bedroom. No, _creepy_ was a compliment this time of year. But only for a while, and just because of one day.

 _Halloween_. Yeah, she wasn't the biggest fan.

Raven could feel her teammate's excitement envelope her fully as they stepped into the mall - a stark contrast to how she was feeling. He had been chattering incessantly since the parking lot, throwing out ideas left and right.

"...and I know Star and Rob are gonna do that whole mermaid-prince thing, but that's fine by me," he blabbered, seemingly unaware of the empath's selective attention as he opened the second set of doors for her, "and Cy called dibs on all of Arnie's characters, which is totally unfair since it basically _eliminates_ an entire _genre_ , but I think we can come up with something cool. We just gotta think _big_."

Raven nodded solemnly, unsure of what the changeling was talking about, though not keen on having him explain himself. She felt she had gotten the gist of it, really. Princesses were out, along with large, overly-buff Austrian men. Which was a damn shame - she looked pretty good in a muscle tank.

The mall was surprisingly empty, though she figured that it was too early for most people to shop - in both the time of day, as well as the actual _date_. It was barely the beginning of October; most people had lives to focus on.

But Beast Boy wasn't most people. Following him towards the mall's directory, she could sense the exact moment his excitement shifted into annoyance, and allowed a small, satisfied smile to grace her lips. A smile that went unnoticed by her teammate as he scowled at the display before them.

"Ugh, why is it in a different location every year?" he growled, trailing his finger down the list of stores.

Raven moved in closer to get a better look, her eyes lazily scanning over the various store names. "It's a pop-up shop," she explained simply, momentarily halting her search as she memorized the location of the book store, before moving on. "Malls are a dying breed. Stores come and go, so their temporary location is bound to change."

Her teammate suddenly let out a triumphant " _Ah ha!_ ", cluing Raven in to his obvious dismissal of her reasoning. "Upstairs, next to the electronics store! Hey, maybe I can pick up a Christmas gift for Cy?"

Raven rolled her eyes, stepping back from the directory. "One Holiday at a time, please."

Beast Boy's only reply was a toothy grin, before he snatched Raven's wrist and pulled her in the direction of the escalators. A warm, unwelcomed blush worked its way down the empath's neck, though she knew better than to say anything at this point. Fighting over personal space was only wasted energy, seeing how her teammate was a very touchy-feely person; especially when it came to her. In fact, it was a toss-up between the shapeshifter and Starfire on who had given the half-demon more hugs.

So, his fingers gently wrapped around her wrist? That was nothing to dwell over. Besides, he was wearing his gloves, and she had her long sleeves. It wasn't like their skin was touching or anything.

Her blush slowly subsiding, she was only partially relieved when her teammate dropped her wrist as they stepped onto the escalator.

"Do you think we can swing a discount?" he mused excitedly, turning himself to face Raven as they began their ascent.

Her personal space thoroughly invaded, the empath casually moved down one step. "A discount for..?" she baited curiously.

"I don't know, for being _us?_ " he suggested with a shrug, before stepping down to join her as he lowered the volume of his voice. "Like, maybe there's some superhero discount or something. Or, like, they can override the system and give us a deal?"

Raven kept her composure as she lowered herself once more, mentally cursing the changeling for getting her so flustered. "We are more than capable of paying full price," she deadpanned.

Clueless as ever, Beast Boy again moved down to her level. "Well, _duh_ ," he huffed, rolling his eyes at her - as if _she_ were the dumb one. "But, like, it's the principle of it, you know?"

Raven remained rooted in her spot, realizing bitterly that they would be stuck on the escalator all day if she attempted another escape. "I'm fine with paying full price," she remarked dryly.

But Beast Boy only groaned, his annoyance palpable. " _Raaae_ ," he whined, jutting out his lower lip.

Her patience growing thin, Raven gave her teammate a stern look. "No, none of that. No whining, no pouting, no ' _Raaae-_ ing'," she warned, before jabbing her finger into his sternum. "You have successfully talked me into coming here with you. You have somehow _convinced_ me into doing a group costume with you. But I will _not_ stand here while you bitch and moan and desecrate my name with your shrill, nasally voice. We will find costumes, we will _pay_ whatever price they give us, and _you_ will call me by my legal, birth-given name."

Beast Boy's eyes had grown significantly wider with every point Raven had made, and for a split second, she feared she may have been too hard on him.

That is, until his stupid, signature grin reappeared. "Dude! Cops! _Sexy_ cops!" he exclaimed, earning a few bewildered looks from the patrons riding down the escalators beside them. "It's perfect! You already got the whole 'bad-cop' thing down - all we need are some aviators and badges!" A second went by, before a sly smile slowly replaced his grin. "No need for handcuffs, though. I've already got a pair," he purred, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Roughly pushing at her teammate's chest, Raven elected to ignore his comment as she stepped off of the escalators and on to the second floor. Glancing around, she idly took in her surroundings. Each store had fall wear on display, with pictures of models holding pumpkins or frolicking through leaves tacked on every wall. A generic, up-beat pop song played from the speakers above them, and though Raven would never _willingly_ listen to a Top-Forty Hit, she was grateful that it wasn't Christmas music - they still had a month before having to deal with _that_. Directing her attention towards the hoard of shoppers, she arched a brow. There were a few more people on this level, though it was still nowhere near the usual amount of mall-goers. Then again, it _was_ the middle of the week.

"Is it too late to back out?" she muttered dully, her eyes habitually scanning through the crowd.

She could see Beast Boy grin from the corner of her eye. "Oh, don't even think about it," he warned. "You promised me, remember?"

Raven felt herself frown. "Vaguely."

The changeling chuckled lightly, before snatching up Raven's wrist once again. "Come on - we gotta get our badges."

Allowing herself to be dragged, Raven let out a sigh. "We're not dressing as _cops_ , Beast Boy."

But her teammate merely snorted. "Not just _cops_ ," he corrected dutifully. " _Sexy_ cops."

Raven could only scowl at the back of his head. "Definitely not," she affirmed, her face flushing slightly. "I'm not dressing as a sexy _anything._ "

But at that, Beast Boy came to a screeching halt, before turning to face her, a wild look in his eyes. "Wait, _what?_ " he shrieked, before blushing at the scene he was causing. He sent the curious passersby a sheepish smile, before returning his attention to Raven. "That was part of the deal, Rae!" he continued, his voice significantly lower.

Raven's eyes narrowed at the nickname, though she chose to look past it. "What do you mean, 'part of the deal'?" she bit back, lowering her voice as well. As far as she knew, they had only agreed to stick to a similar theme, and only because the changeling had begged her for three days straight.

Plus, she was making an effort to be a better friend, and if that meant being Beast Boy's accessory on one of his favorite holidays, then so be it.

"You said you'd dress up with me, and that I could choose the costumes," he explained innocently.

Raven quirked her brow. "I didn't think you were planning on tarting me up," she mused, somewhat playfully.

Though, the offended look Beast Boy gave her clued her in that this was no laughing matter. "Uh, excuse _you_ ," he began, dramatically holding his free hand to his heart. "I'm not gonna 'tart you up' - I'm just...uh..." His eyes quickly flicked over her form, before returning to hers. "...keeping our options open?"

Wondering if he had not-so-subtly checked her out, and realizing he had still neglected to release her wrist, Raven hurriedly looked away as her face began to burn. Though, she wasn't sure if it was from embarrassment or anger. Or both. "I can veto anything I deem... inappropriate," she compromised, electing to just ignore his wandering gaze.

She could see Beast Boy deflate from the corner of her eye. "B-but... Ugh, _fine_ ," he relented, before turning back around and pulling her towards the store.

Despite only being open for maybe a week prior, Raven was surprised to see that the store had been thoroughly shopped. Various wigs were strewn over the racks, while glitter and parchment paper littered the floor. Not wanting to slip, Raven began to levitate over the mess.

Beast Boy, on the other hand, walked right through it, either unaware, or unconcerned. Dropping her wrist, he absently crossed his arms over his chest. "Huh," he mused, his eyes narrowing slightly as he glanced around the store. "Not as many options this year."

Raven arched her brow, surprised. Costumes of every size and color were spread throughout the room, with various themes and genres. They had horror-movie villains, classic Halloween staples, and b-list celebrities. Hell, she even caught sight of her _own_ costume scattered about, along with versions of her teammates' uniforms. There were literally hundreds of choices - what had Beast Boy been expecting?

Though, before she could ponder over it further, they were greeted by a chipper voice.

"Welcome to the Halloween Store!"

Turning towards the source of the noise, Raven came face-to-face with a brunette sales associate. Lowering herself to the ground, she took a small step backwards, before giving the girl a nod.

"Thanks!" Beast Boy chirped, his smile lighting up his entire face.

Again, Raven had to look away. That smile had caused her nothing but trouble today.

"What is it you guys are looking for today?" the associate - _Kate_ , if her name-tag was to be believed - asked politely.

Pretending to focus on the display of fake blood beside her, Raven allowed Beast Boy to take the reins. After all, he was the one so insistent on dressing up -

"Couples costumes!" the changeling answered cheerfully.

Her face growing hot, Raven whipped her head around to glare at her teammate, who continued to smile at the sales girl.

Kate looked momentarily shocked by the news, though her retail-mode kicked back in almost immediately. "Oh! We've got plenty of those!" she replied, before gesturing behind her. "If you guys wanna follow me - "

But Raven felt the need to clarify. "By _couple_ ," she began curtly, giving her teammate another glare, "he means... more in the dynamic-duo sense. Not anything or anyone... romantically tied."

Realization of what he had said seemed to finally hit Beast Boy, and the half-demon watched as he let out a nervous chuckle. "Heh, uh, yeah! That's what I meant - that's _totally_ what I meant!"

Kate nodded slowly at their explanation, before giving them a tight smile. "Oh, I see. Um... how about I just let the two of you look around for a while?" she suggested sweetly.

Raven could have hugged her - well, okay, not really. But she _was_ grateful. "Thank you."

She waited until the associate was out of ear-shot, before smacking Beast Boy across the back of his head.

"Ow! What the hell?" he squeaked, sending her a glare as he rubbed the spot sheepishly. "Was that _really_ necessary?"

Raven scowled, not feeling the need to suppress her irritation. "'Couples costumes'?" she spat back. " _Really?_ "

A blush spread over the changeling's green features, though the primary feeling radiating off of him was amusement. "I mean... _technically_ \- " he began.

But Raven was quick to nip it in the bud, taking a small step towards him. "No, no ' _technically_ '. I agreed to a group costume. I agreed to a _matching_ costume. But I did _not -_ " she said the word through her teeth, her powers spiking at the jumble of emotions she was feeling, " - agree to a ' _couples_ _costume_ '."

Beast Boy stared back at her, his expression surprisingly blank as her words slowly sunk in. "Oh," was his simple reply.

The feeling of taking it too far crept over her again, though she tried her hardest to keep her face neutral as she took a step back. A part of her felt bad for snapping at him - it had been uncalled for, seeing how he hadn't meant any harm with the comment. But another part - a more _persistent_ part - insisted that she was well within her rights. Beast Boy was an expert at pushing her buttons, and had been pressing away at her all day. The boy needed a reality check.

"So, like I was saying earlier," the changeling started, obviously over their little tiff, "Rob and Star already got the cutesy princess thing down, and Cy's got a monopoly on every 80's action movie _ever_ , so we really gotta think outside the box."

Raven nodded in response, not trusting herself to speak in a normal, non-lecturing voice for at least a few more seconds. How was her teammate able to rile her up so easily?

"Now, are you wanting to go pop-culture with it, or something more niche?"

Her brow arched slightly at his correct use of 'niche', though she decided not to point it out. "Well, I'm about as informed as Starfire when it comes to pop-culture," she replied honestly, before thinking better of it. "Actually, I'm probably _less_ informed," she mused, remembering the alien's love for romantic comedies and cartoons.

Beast Boy quietly laughed at her deduction. "Okay, so _90's_ movies are out, too," he concluded.

Feeling rather bad for limiting the green titan's options, she attempted to throw him a bone. "Like I said, I'll veto anything inappropriate, but you're free to pick the concept," she offered.

But Beast Boy only waved her off. "Nah, Rae. I want you to actually _like_ your costume," he replied, smiling.

Raven felt her face get hot again, the use of her hated nickname going right over her head. Making a point to look at everything but him, she hurriedly cleared her throat while eyeing a few displays. "Ahem. Well, where do you want to start?"

But instead of answering her, Beast Boy again grabbed her wrist - or, at least, he _attempted_ to. It seemed he had undershot it by an inch, and was successfully leading the empath by the palm of her hand. Again, Raven made no mention of it. Pointing it out would only mortify him, and there was no use in throwing herself into an echo-chamber of embarrassment.

"So, quick question before we start," he mused, breaking Raven from her thoughts. "When you say 'inappropriate'..?"

Grateful for the sense of normalcy that was returning, Raven rolled her eyes. "Bikini tops and booty-shorts," she deadpanned.

Her teammate snorted. "Ugh, but we'd look so _good_ in matching booty-shorts," he whined good-naturedly, despite the hint of disappointment she sensed from him.

Deciding not to dwell over the emotion, Raven fought back a smirk, and instead continued to trail after the shapeshifter as he prowled through the store. Though, when she caught sight of the sales associate again, she felt herself blush as the girl's brown eyes darted towards her and her teammate's somewhat conjoined hands. Thankfully, Kate elected to leave them alone.

Attempting to distract herself, Raven began to absently peruse the racks, using her powers to sift through the jumbled costumes. Though, she was finding it rather difficult as the changeling tugged her in various directions, obviously intent on finding something in particular. Half of Raven hoped that he _wouldn't_ find what he wanted, and that they'd leave the store empty-handed. But the other half kinda liked the idea of being part of a set. The whole 'loner' thing she represented was getting kinda old.

Beast Boy stopped suddenly, causing the empath to nearly crash into him as his eyes excitedly scanned over the rack in front of them. But, after a moment, his excitement evaporated, and he shook his head in disappointment. "Nah - you haven't seen it," he sighed.

Again, Raven mentally kicked herself for being so sheltered. "If it's a movie I haven't seen, you could always show it to me before Halloween," she suggested lightly.

A moment of silence passed by, before the changeling's face seemed to light up with realization. "Dude! You're right!" he exclaimed, releasing Raven's palm and instead cupping her face in his hands. "When did you become the smart one?"

Raven tried to glare at him, although she was giving it a rather pitiful attempt as she mentally chanted her mantra. She knew Beast Boy felt affection for his friends, and often showed that affection physically, but _this_ -

Face... grabbing..?

\- was too much.

Though, banishing him to another dimension wasn't an option - not unless she wanted _bathroom duty_. Plus, she _was_ making an effort to spend more time with him, and sending him to the fiery pits of hell would probably be a bit counterproductive.

So, she'd have to play nice.

"Release my face, please," she demanded dryly.

Reluctantly complying, Beast Boy sent her an innocent smile. "Sorry, Rae - I just got really excited," he explained with a shrug. "Like, this has opened up _so_ many more options; you have no idea!"

Again, she ignored the nickname. "Let's just keep the face-touching to a minimum, okay?"

She expected him to blush or stutter, but he merely gave her a thoughtful look instead.

"Soooo, you shaving your head and me morphing into a face-hugger is probably a no-go?"

Raven opened her mouth to respond, though nothing came out. Furrowing her brows, she took a moment to figure out if what he was saying was a movie reference, or an innuendo.

Luckily, Beast Boy saved her the guess-work. "Really? You haven't seen that, either? Oh my _god_ , you are uncultured!"

Crossing her arms over her stomach, Raven huffed. "Like I said, you can show me the movie later," she repeated irritably. "I just want us to find a costume and get this over with."

Again, her companion only stared at her, obviously contemplating something.

"Right, right," he agreed after a moment. Giving her a toothy smile, he hurriedly swiped a random hanger off of the rack. "Okay, you'll need to try on this one," he mused, before grabbing another costume, "and _this_ one... Oh! _Definitely_ this one!"

Raven watched helplessly as he piled costume after costume into his arms, before gesturing towards the fitting room with a nod.

"Let's get this over with," he teased with a wink, before skipping to the other side of the store.

Sighing, Raven followed after him, watching apprehensively as he shoved all of the costumes into an open room, before dramatically bowing.

"It's all yours."

Shooting him a halfhearted glare, Raven pushed past him, before shutting the door between them. The lighting was god-awful, and the room smelt vaguely of paint, though she decided not to dwell on it as she kicked off her boots. Reaching behind her back, she slowly unzipped her leotard, before peeling it down her torso and stepping out of it. Making sure that it wasn't inside-out, she gently slung it over the door, not trusting the paint-chipped hooks in the room.

Standing in only her bra and panties, it was then that she finally took a good look at the costumes her teammate had provided, before scowling at his audacity. Every outfit was either skin-tight, low-cut, or disgustingly girly. Massaging her temples with her fingertips, Raven debated on how she was going to torture the changeling.

But, as if sensing her anger, she watched from the corner of her eye as her leotard was pulled from the room.

 _Of course_ , she thought bitterly, having half a mind to walk out there in her skivvies and call the whole thing off. Though, the thought of being that uncovered while in the presence of Beast Boy made her feel... _odd_.

Realizing that complying was the easiest option, she let out a long, drawn-out sigh, before grabbing the _least_ revealing outfit. It looked to be a very liberal interpretation of a tribal dress, with fake fur lining and feather accessories. Stepping into it, she couldn't help but imagine the field-day the press would have if they saw her in it - _Local Hero Raven Culturally Appropriates Native Fashion._

Yeah, no. No way this costume was making it out of the fitting room.

Smoothing down the fabric, she was relieved to see that the dress covered all of her ass and most of her bust, though its skin-tight fit left little to the imagination. Although, so did her leotard, if she were to be completely honest. But that was for practical, aerodynamic reasons. This outfit? Nothing practical about it.

"Hoooow's it going?" Beast Boy asked innocently through the door.

Raven took a moment to scrutinize her reflection. "I'm deeming this one... inappropriate."

She was slightly surprised when the changeling didn't argue or demand to see it, but she was even _more_ surprised when he suddenly appeared right next to her, having morphed into a bug and flying beneath the door.

" _Wow_..." was his genuine reaction as he looked her up and down, before coming back to his senses and shaking his head. "Uh, I mean... You look... nice?"

Raven could only glare, her face bright red as she tried to sift through the jumbled emotions her teammate was unintentionally sending her. It seemed his feelings were just as erratic as his behavior; a headache-inducing conclusion to come to. "Give me back my leotard," she deadpanned, feeling slightly self-conscious as she attempted to cover herself with her arms.

Beast Boy scrunched up his nose in consideration, clearly unbothered by her embarrassment. "Hmm... _Nah_ ," he replied sweetly, before his eyes darted towards the other costumes. "Not until you try on a few more."

Raven felt a strange pounding in her chest, and idly wondered if she was having a heart attack. "I told you nothing inappropriate, and yet, everything you picked out is _extremely_ inappropriate," she pointed out curtly, feeling her embarrassment slowly give way to anger.

Beast Boy, on the other hand? She could still feel his amusement lapping at her senses.

"Not _everything_..." he insisted, before sifting through the contents of the fitting room. "I mean, yeah, some of these are a little _revealing_ , but hey - no bikinis or booty-shorts! Oh, besides this," he laughed, holding up a literal bikini.

Raven arched her brow, genuinely surprised by his stupidity.

"I was thinking 'shark-attack-victims' would be kinda cool," he explained nonchalantly, before his excitement caught back up to him. "Like, we could cover ourselves in fake blood - OH! Or I could morph into an actual shark and, like, bite your leg or something - _gently,_ of course - and then you could heal it just a little and - _ugh_ , that'd be so _cool!_ "

The empath could only stare at her teammate, truly dumbfounded. "...Bite me?"

Again, the shapeshifter chuckled. " _Gently_ ," he repeated, before giving her another wink.

But that was as much as she could handle.

" _Get out,_ " she demanded, feeling her powers pool at the tips of her fingers. Something in the ceiling above them cracked, the slight twitch of the changeling's ear being its only acknowledgement.

A moment of silence passed between them, her teammate's smile neglecting to leave his face. That is, until she took a small step towards him.

Holding his hands out before him innocently, he attempted to put some space between them. " _Okay_ ," he relented playfully, before opening the door and exiting the room.

Another blush encompassed Raven's features at his casual exit, though she was thankful to find that nobody had seemed to notice. But as she began to pull the door closed with her powers, a gloved hand caught the handle.

"I was just teasing you with all those," Beast Boy admitted somewhat bashfully as he stepped into the doorway. Raven had half a mind to shove him from the room, though it seemed he had another idea as he held up one last costume. "This one shouldn't be too bad."

Raven eyed the fairly modest outfit suspiciously. "What's the catch?"

Her teammate merely shrugged, his eyes darting around the small room. "No catch," he replied, before letting out a nervous chuckle. "Well, I mean, it's not _really_ a catch..." he continued, now focusing on the far corner of the ceiling.

Rolling her eyes, Raven reached up and roughly grabbed Beast Boy's chin, pulling his head down and directing his attention back to her. "Spit it out," she demanded.

Another chuckle. "Heh, well... You said I could show you the movie, right?"

Raven nodded, uncertain. "Right..?"

"Then no catch!" he chirped, before glancing down at her hand. "What happened to keeping the face-touching to a minimum?" he mused nonchalantly.

Quickly retracting her hand, Raven was torn between glaring at her teammate or acting unbothered. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to convincingly pull off either look. "I was just making sure I had your attention," she admitted grumpily. "You weren't _looking_ at me, which meant you weren't _listening_ to me."

Beast Boy arched his brow. "I look at you all the time without listening," he replied casually, before his eyes widened at his accidental confession.

Raven felt a wave of embarrassment wash over her, though she was grateful that, for once, it wasn't her own. "Do you want me to just ignore that?" she asked expectantly.

The shapeshifter gave her a tight smile. "Yes, please."

"Fine," she agreed, before grabbing the front of his uniform and pulling him towards her. "But _you_ need to forget that you ever saw me in this horrendous outfit," she growled, her powers sparking dangerously at her fingertips.

Beast Boy swallowed nervously, his eyes darting between her scowl and her hand. "Heh, uh... sure thing!"

Satisfied, Raven released the changeling, before shoving him from the room and closing the door. Sparing a glance towards the latest costume, she groaned. "I'll try on this one, and then you'll give me back my leotard," she called through the door. "Deal?"

A moment of silence passed, before she heard her teammate sigh. "Ugh. _Deal_."

* * *

Raven leisurely sipped on her pumpkin spice latte, ignoring the teasing look the changeling was giving her. They had elected to get coffee after finally agreeing on costumes, though Raven was surprised when her teammate had merely put the corresponding outfits on hold, rather than buying them outright. Of course, she wasn't surprised enough to have him explain his reasoning - perhaps he had just changed his mind. Something she was fine with, honesty. Yeah, the costume was more modest than the others, but it still showed a little more skin than she was used to. Probably not as much skin as Beast Boy would have _liked_ , but she wasn't sent to earth to fulfill his perverted little fantasies.

Although, a part of her _was_ flattered that he possibly saw her that way.

But as she pondered over it further, she could see the shapeshifter lightly shake his head from beside her. Absently wondering if he'd ever get tired of taunting her, Raven spared him a bored look.

His attention was clearly on her beverage, and his amusement was apparent.

"You can't judge me when you're drinking the exact same thing," the empath pointed out dryly, before returning her focus to the crowds of people moving through the mall. It seemed Beast Boy _hadn't_ been the only person with the bright idea to go shopping. He was just a little early.

"It's not the _exact_ same," her teammate argued, readjusting his position on the bench they were sharing. "Mine's _soy_."

Raven's eye twitched. "Because that makes a difference," she muttered, taking another sip.

The changeling merely chuckled as he casually slid closer to her. "Oh, it makes _all_ the difference," he insisted, before shoving his cup under her nose. "Try it!"

Using her powers, Raven gently pushed the shapeshifter away from her, allowing for a more reasonable distance between them. "No," she replied plainly.

Though, she knew that one refusal wasn't enough to dissuade him.

"Scared you'll end up liking it?" he teased, reclaiming part of the space between them, though not enough to warrant another shove.

Raven took another sip of her latte. "Not at all," she mused, her eyes tracing over the elaborate Halloween display in the candy store across from them. Who would have thought that chocolate, peanut butter, and _pumpkin_ would be a thing.

"I think you _are_ ," Beast Boy continued, the grin he was wearing apparent in his voice. "You're scared you'll end up _loving_ it, and that you'll have to put up a front for the rest of your life. That you'll be doomed to forever drink that nasty, whole-milk garbage, while staring longingly at me as I sip on my soy-milk magnificence."

Quirking her eyebrow, Raven idly mulled over her teammate's prediction. "'Staring longingly', huh?" she remarked.

Again, she felt his amusement pour over her. "I mean, I know you _already_ do that because you're totally in love with me," he began, his voice oozing with faux-confidence, "but in this scenario, you're lusting after my _latte_."

Fighting back a smirk, Raven gave her teammate a sideways look. "In _love_ with you?" she repeated flatly, before allowing herself a small chuckle at the utter ridiculousness of his statement. "Wow, Beast Boy - you finally did it," she mused lightly, her sights returning to the crowd. "You finally made me laugh. Congratulations."

But the changeling merely waved off her praise. "Oh, _please_. I make you laugh all the time," he replied nonchalantly. "You just don't do it out loud."

Again, Raven had to look at him as she attempted to understand his alternate reality. "You're delusional," she deadpanned.

"How so?" he challenged.

Raven felt herself smirk. "I would _never_ lust after soy-milk."

A moment of silence passed between them, before Beast Boy's amusement seemed to double. "Ah, but you don't deny lusting after _me_ ," he pointed out smugly.

Raven shook her head, equal parts entertained and exasperated. She was used to his incessant teasing and occasional flirting, but her threshold was nearing. "You've been pushing it today," she mused, deciding that she could no longer avoid the subject.

But before the changeling could respond, an ear-splitting squeal captured their attention. Glancing up, Raven was only mildly surprised to see a smiling fan excitedly bounding towards them, her auburn curls bouncing wildly.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry if I'm being totally rude but can I please please _please_ get a picture with you two?"

Raven felt her lips fall into a frown. She _hated_ getting her picture taken. Beast Boy, on the other hand...

"Sure!" he replied cheerfully, before setting his coffee beside him on the bench. "My reach is a little longer, so how about you take a seat next to Rae here, and I can take the pic!" he suggested with a grin.

The fan quickly complied, nodding eagerly as she handed the changeling her cellphone. "You guys are seriously so cool," she enthused, sending Raven a large smile.

Raven gave her a smaller one in return, only mildly annoyed at being sandwiched between them. "Thanks."

Though, her frown reappeared as Beast Boy casually slung his arm over her shoulders, before holding the phone out before the three of them. "Alright ladies, on the count of three."

Raven glared at his image on the screen, before swallowing her pride as she looked into the camera.

"One, two, three!"

Her polite smile was dwarfed by the toothy grins on either side of her, though she didn't completely hate the picture.

"Thank you so much!" the auburn-haired girl exclaimed as the green titan handed her back her phone. "You guys are totally my heroes - I mean, well _duh!_ But seriously, this means so much to me, you have no idea!" she continued, giving the titans one last smile before racing off in the direction she had come from.

Raven watched her leave, her wild hair flying behind her.

"Sweet kid," Beast Boy mused, before reclaiming his coffee.

The half-demon rolled her eyes. "She's _maybe_ a year younger than us," she deadpanned, before attempting to shrug out from under the changeling's arm. But, when that proved to be futile, she sighed. Grabbing his hand with her own, she pointedly removed his arm. "So, as I was saying," she began, intent on finishing their conversation, though it seemed her teammate had other ideas as he casually laced his fingers with her own. Her mind momentarily blanking, Raven could only stare at their hands.

Beast Boy merely sipped on his coffee.

Slowly coming back to her senses, Raven blinked once; then twice.

Their fingers were still intertwined.

"What do you think you're doing?" she inquired calmly, not trusting her self-control enough to voice any _real_ emotion as she weakly attempted to tug her hand away.

But Beast Boy's grip remained firm.

"Holding your hand," he replied casually, his content expression in complete juxtaposition to the nervous energy he was exuding.

Again, Raven tried to escape with another tug. "Holding it _hostage_ ," she corrected beneath her breath.

Still, her teammate acted unconcerned. "You didn't seem to mind it earlier," he mused, his demeanor eerily calm, despite the hurricane of emotions he was bombarding her with. _Amusement, apprehension, affection, fear_ \- the list went on.

Raven could feel herself blush, her mind reeling over his comment while fighting to decipher each emotion. "I thought it had been an accident," she admitted, her eyes still glued to their hands. The thought of banishing him to a far away place crossed her mind once more, though she was _still_ a little apprehensive; Robin always followed through with his threats - oh, sorry, ' _punishments_ ' - and she really didn't want to scrub any toilets.

But movement beside her pulled her from her thoughts. Finally finding the strength to tear her eyes from their interlocked fingers, she watched as Beast Boy merely shrugged at her reply. "Well, you still let it happen, didn't you?" he queried, his gaze expertly avoiding hers as he scoped out their surroundings. "Chocolate, peanut butter, and _pumpkin?_ Weird combo... Wanna try it?"

Raven could only stare at her teammate blankly, her heart hammering against her ribs. Her embarrassment and confusion were seconds away from getting the best of her, and she feared what her powers would do when she'd finally lose control.

"If you let go," she bargained, somewhat surprised that nothing had imploded. Aside from reality, at least.

Beast Boy chuckled at her compromise, tightening his grip for a moment, before relaxing his hand. Cautiously, Raven slipped her hand from his.

"You've been pushing it today," she repeated, albeit more seriously. The lightheartedness from minutes earlier was nowhere to be found.

Again, the changeling shrugged, still avoiding eye contact. "Yeah, you said that," he replied. Physically, he remained stoic; his body relaxed and his expression placid. Emotionally, however? He was a whirlwind of conflicting feelings and urges. Raven could sense his disappointment, resignation, and melancholy, along with elation and pride.

She furrowed her brows, dumbfounded. "What's your endgame?"

He seemed surprised by her question, and almost even looked at her, before his eyes darted back to the candy shop. "My what?"

Raven soon followed his gaze, finding that looking at him was becoming rather difficult. "Why are you doing all this?" she elaborated. "All this flirting and teasing. Is it to get a rise out of me?"

Beast Boy shook his head, smiling. "Nah... I mean, not really... Well, kinda?" he replied, unsure. "Like, I'll admit that I _love_ pushing your buttons," he began, causing Raven's brow to arch knowingly, "but, uh... I don't know. I've really enjoyed hanging out with you." Again, Raven sensed his affection and amusement. "I always do."

She could feel her powers ebbing and pulsing with every other spike of emotion, though she wasn't sure if they were his feelings, or her own. Chancing a quick glance, she was irritated to find a small smile on his face - well, _irritated_ that she kind of found the smile _cute_. "I enjoy spending time with you as well," she admitted flatly, her eyes falling towards her hand and her cheeks turning pink. "But sometimes... your actions and emotions don't add up. And it confuses me, and I'm not sure how to react." Splaying her fingers against her thigh, Raven sighed. "I know you're teasing, and that it doesn't mean anything, but I would just prefer if you stopped with the overt flirting. It's messing with my control."

But Beast Boy only laughed. "Seriously, Rae?" he mused, finally looking towards her.

Tentatively, she lifted her gaze to meet his.

There was the usual hint of mischief dancing behind his eyes. "You think it doesn't mean anything?"

But at that, her eyes fell back to her lap as she mentally chanted her mantra. Her own erratic emotions were strong enough to momentarily block-out the changeling's - something that both relieved and terrified her. Things were definitely gonna explode. "You're a flirt," she pointed out plainly.

"Duh," was his eloquent reply. "But that doesn't mean it's meaningless."

Raven attempted another look at him, but the sound of the bench creaking beneath them caused her to close her eyes. Focusing on peace and serenity and any other calming-cliche, she reined in her powers, before reopening her eyes.

"You're delusional," she repeated, though she wasn't sure what she was referring to. His emotions were still a jumbled mess, but she didn't sense anything to contradict his words.

Beast Boy raised his eyebrows. "Uh, what's that have to do with anything?"

Raven could only roll her eyes. "You're _delusional_ ," she repeated again, "if you think anything's gonna happen between us."

She had prepared herself for disappointment, or perhaps even anger, but she was only met with mirth as he let out a chuckle. "Nah, Rae," he grinned, and she felt her heart skip. "Something's _already_ happening between us."

Narrowing her eyes, the half-demon waited for him to elaborate.

His stupid, toothy grin stretched across his face as he leaned back, clearly making himself comfortable. "It's so obvious you're into me," he explained, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and not complete and utter blaspheme.

"What in the world gave you _that_ impression?" she scoffed, feeling her control slip once more as the planter beside them cracked.

But again, Beast Boy's only reaction was the twitching of his ear, before he furthered his point. "Uh, the fact that you're not denying it?" he countered, his amusement nearly tangible. "Or that you _haven't_ been denying it all day - I've been hardcore hitting on you since breakfast, practically holding your hand every chance I get, and _hell_ , I basically walked in on you changing, and you didn't even _blink_. So, yeah, I'd say that you're at least _interested_ in me."

Raven opened her mouth to argue, before begrudgingly realizing that he had a point. Not about her being _interested_ , mind you - just that she hadn't been reprimanding him to her usual extent. But she _had_ been making an effort _not_ to be so hard on him.

And look where it had gotten her.

"Beast Boy," she began wearily, her shoulders slumping as she set her drink beside her. Turning her body to better face him, she ignored the way her knee brushed against his. "You of all people should know that I've been working on... being _nicer_."

The changeling continued to smile, her words seemingly going over his head as he redirected his attention to the candy shop once more.

Deciding that she probably needed to be firmer, Raven again grabbed his chin, forcing him to look at her. "I'm not 'into' you," she stated with certainty. "You're my friend, and I'm flattered that you enjoy spending time with me, but nothing - _absolutely nothing_ \- is happening between us."

But Beast Boy looked unconvinced, his green eyes boring into hers with an intensity that gave her that odd feeling again. "Also, you're usually a stickler for personal space, but you've been finding any excuse to touch me all day," he continued, obviously choosing to ignore everything she had just said.

Feeling her anger spike, Raven immediately removed her hand from his person. "You're an idiot," she spat, unable to think of anything to counter with. It wasn't often that she found herself at a loss for words, but here she was, fumbling over something so profoundly ridiculous. _Her_ being into _Beast Boy?_

No way. Not at all. Not _ever_.

"Anyway, the movie is playing in half an hour, so if we wanna try that peanut butter pumpkin thing, we should go now," he suggested.

Raven could only stare at him, the empty drink beside her crumpling within the black aura that encased it. Again, her mind was blanking, and it took all of her remaining brain cells to string together a coherent sentence. "M-movie..?" Well, _somewhat_ coherent.

Beast Boy rolled his eyes fondly. "You said I could show you the movie," he explained, his voice a tad bit patronizing. "And it's playing at one o'clock."

Still, Raven only stared. Had this been his plan the whole time? Spending the day with her, convincing her to do a couples costume with him, and then tricking her into a _date?_ Was he even clever enough to _plan_ something like that? Or was he just making it up as he went?

"I mean, we don't have to go if you don't want to," Beast Boy continued, seemingly uncomfortable with the empath's sudden silence. "I just figured that watching it _before_ we committed to a costume would be a good idea..."

Him putting the costumes on hold suddenly made sense.

"...but we can totally just buy the other ones," he reasoned. "I mean, you _did_ make a pretty hot Pocahontas."

Her eyes narrowing into slits, Raven finally found her voice. "You're a pig."

Beast Boy shook his head, chuckling. "I mean, I _can_ be," he agreed, before morphing into said creature, knocking his empty cup onto the floor in the process. Raven rolled her eyes, using her powers to pick it up and dispose of it in the trash can.

She'd be lying if she said the thought of doing the same to the green animal beside her _didn't_ cross her mind.

Unfortunately, Beast Boy returned to his human form before she could decide. "So, what do you say?" he mused, his smile unwavering.

Raven could only arch her brow, completely and utterly bewildered. Ten minutes ago, she was certain that her teammate was nothing more than an obnoxious flirt. But _now?_ He was an obnoxious flirt with a _plan_.

A plan that involved her and a movie and a couples costume. A plan that could potentially alter their relationship forever. A plan that had _potential_.

Another blush worked its way down Raven's neck, though it wasn't necessarily unwelcomed. Sure, Beast Boy had definitely jumped to conclusions when she hadn't immediately banished him to another dimension - but she couldn't deny _every_ point he had made. So far, their trip had been rather eye-opening; Raven wasn't just _flattered_ by the attention he gave her. She really, really _liked_ it. And not just because it boosted her ego.

No, she _liked_ his attention because, well, she maybe kinda _liked_ him. Or, at least, she was _open_ to liking him. Maybe. There was really only one way to find out.

Giving her teammate a pointed look, Raven felt herself smirk. "I thought you said princesses were out?"

* * *

 **Well this was the longest oneshot ever lmao**

 **I'm kinda feeling the Halloween Spirit - is it obvious?**

 **Please leave a review! And let me know what you're dressing up as this Halloween - I need ideas/inspiration since my boyfriend refuses to paint himself green :(**


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